In spite of being among the most hailed bands of the recent new wave of American Metal and considered as one of its pioneers, Shadows Fall didn't exactly stand out that much when they first started. In fact, "Somber Eyes To The Sky" was pretty generic in its range, hardly ever leaving the Melodic Death Metal roots it's centered on. "Of One Blood," the follow up, reveals, however, an interesting growth of influences; it seems to have been, in many ways, the laboratory Shadows Fall used to compress all their ideas before they went on to make a more balanced and effective album.

Chapter two to the epic story that is Shadows Fall. This album is their first release on legendary record label Century Media, but the lineup for this album has been changed slightly: enter Brian Fair. After his previous hardcore band "Overcast" had broken up, he was invited to join Shadows Fall and replace previous vocalist, Phil Labonte, who would go on to form All That Remains. Brian, being a much more unique and diverse vocalist, proved to be a welcome addition to the band, and Matt Bachand was reported to have said "we've finally got our sound." This is Of One Blood.